Half to lewis emery



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheen 1.

E. B.'WHITM0RE.

MIDDLINGS PURIPIER. No. 525,301. I Patented Aug. 28,1894.

operating parts of the machine.

UNITED STAT-ns PATENT trice.

EDWIN B. WHITMORE, OF THREE RIVERS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO LEWIS EMERY, JR., OF SAME PLACE.

iVIIDDLINCevS-PUFHFIER.A

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 525,801, dated August 28, 1894.

Appneeti'en inea Deeember 14, 189s. 'seriei No. 493,685. (ne mean.)

To a/ZZ whom it may col/werft:y

Be it known that I, EDWIN B. WHI'TMORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Three Rivers, in the county of St. Joseph and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Middlings-Puriiiers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention consists in the peculiar construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts, as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

This machine is intended tobe an improvement upon my Reissue Patent No. 11,245, dated June 21, 1892, and is intended to effect a more perfect separation of the middlings from the dust, chaff, tbc., than could be accomplishedheretofore, by combining with the separation by gravity in an air current, a mechanical separation by asieve; all as more fully hereinafter described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical, central, longitudinal section therethrough. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section through the feed hopper, to illustrate the feed valve. Fig. Ztis a detached perspective` view of the screen brush or sieve and the actuating mechanism. Fig. 5 is a section through the screen. Fig. 6 is a section on line fr :c Fig. 2, showing part of the actuating screw for the brush. Fig. 7 is asection online y y, Fig. 6.

A is the inclosing frame for supporting the B isa feed hopper at the top of one end. This hopper has a lateral discharge spout B', controlled by the valve or gate B2, hinged at the lower edge of they hopper and provided on its outer face with the rod C, upon which the counterweight O is adj ustably secured.

D is a plate, diskyor board, connected to the valve B2 through the curved arm D and serving as a plunger or actuating piston for the valve, controlled by the weight or flow of the grain, automatically closing as the grain stops flowing, the passage way into the device being always closed by the valve or the grain. To prevent the grain clogging the movement of the valve by getting into the `hinge joint, I cover that joint by a Hap D3 (Fig. 8).

Supported on spring arms or links E is a vibrating frame carrying two series of inclinedcant boards F F', the upper board of the lower seriesF being arranged below the discharge from the hopper. This frame is vibrated in any suitable manner; I have shown an actuating shaft F2, having an eccentric, .which is connected by the strap F3 with the frame.

G is a dust chamber, the rear wall of which .is formed by the inclined partition G', which extends to near the top of the machine, and connected through the throat G2 (controlled by a valve G3) into the chamber G4, which is the suction chamber or passage to the fan H. v

a, is the suction aperture of the fan and b the discharge therefrom. The suction chamber is formed between the wall H', and the wall H2, and is provided with a settling leg I, which discharges into the settling chamber I. The discharge from the fan communicates into the upper end of the dust settling or collecting chamber J, provided with suitable dust arresters J Aon either side of the passage therein, and with a settling leg J2 at the lower end.

The dust chamber is formed between the rear wall of the casing and the wall J3 and between the wall J 3 and the wall H2 is a passage K leading into the settling Vchamber I at the bottom of the machine.

In the settling chamber at the bottom is a conveyer belt L, adapted to carry the dust to one end of the machine, to Vdischarge into or 4beside the discharge from theY settling leg J2,

so that all the dust is discharged at a single point.

Below the partitions or walls G H is a separating chamber divided by the reciprocating screen M into a dust chamber c and the hopperol formed by the partitions or Walls ef, at the bottom of which are the conveyers g h leading to the side of the machine.

The screen is reciprocated from an eccentric on the shaft F2 connected to the screen by the bent spring straps t', as shown in Fig. 4. The construction of this connecting strap is such as to take up all angular movement by bending of the strap without communi- IOC eating such movement to the screen, and yet dispense with a pivotal joint at the screen, which is objectionable on account of the rattling.

` Bteneath the screen are the transverse bars 7c supported at the ends upon adjustable brackets Z and upon which is the reciprocating brush m, bearing against the under side of the screen, as shown in Fig. 5. Centrally of the brush block is the bifurcated bracket lm', between the legs of which is detachably secured the block a, inwhich is swiveled the fingere having a thin upper portion provided with a curved bearing adapted to engage with the reverse screw shaft p driven constantly none direction, the reverse screw threads therein acting to reciprocate the brush across the screen. The construction of these parts is shown in Figs. 4, 6 and 7.

Above the screen in the wall H of the separating dust chamber, is a valve or door O adapted to be actuated by the cam P, on the shaft P extending to the side of the machine.

Q is a detlecting board, at the lower end of the cant board frame which serves to deflect the material from the lower cantboard of the first series on tothe screen, and between this deiector board and the wall e is the inlet throat R leading into the hopper chamber beneath the screen.

At the bottom of the dust chamber G is a trough and conveyer S, the lower one of the upper series of cant boards discharging such material as may fall upon it, into this trough.

For the purpose of grading the material passing through the screen,I arrange beneath the screen the hopper S', sliding in guide ways on the side of the machine. rIhe discharge therefrom may be fed into either of the conveyers g h by the hinged valve or deilector board S2 pivoted between the conveyers.

The hopper may be shifted under the screen to catch more or less of the material, and the screen is provided with cloth of larger mesh increasing toward the right, thereby further grading the material which may be fed into the conveyers g h.

The various shafts for the conveyers, fan, &c., are driven from any suitable source of power; I have shown in Fig. 1, an arrangement of belting which I deem preferable.

The parts being thus constructed they are intended to operate as follows: Middlings to be purified is fed from the hopper upon the upper cant board of the lower series, and is shaken therefrom by the vibrations thereof, falling from one to the other, the air current passing therethrough and carrying the lighter material toward the dust chamber G. The heavier material thus carried by the air current, falls upon the upper series of cant boards and finally is discharged into the conveyor S, or separates from the dust in the chamber G and falls into the conveyer. The current through the cant boards may be controlled by the valve G3. The material falling from the lower series of cant boards upon the board Q falls therefrom upon the screen M and is gradually fed toward the end. During this operation the air current enters through the throat R under the screen, passing therethrough and through the valve O inte the suction passage to the fan and then ce through the machine. The air current under the screen keeps the light and fine material from passing through and carries it to the rear end of the screen or through the valve into the fan. The tailings fall from the screen into the leg or chute T. All of the material passing through the screen, or as much as desired may be defiected into the conveyers gh. The valves G3 and O, determine the volume and speed of the currents passing through the cant boards or screen.

It will be seen that I first purify the middlings by the air blast and gravity, and then separate the cleaned product mechanically on the screen utilizing the air to assist in freeing it from dust and light particles re maining after the first operation.

The material passing through the screen may be further graded as described and all in a single operation. v

What I claim as my invention is l. In a middlings purifier, the combination with a closed casing, an endless air passage therein, means for circulating the air through the passage, a hopper, a series of cant boards below the hopper in the path of the circulating air, a suction chamber, a valved passage leading thereto from the cant boards, a settlin g throat for the suction chamber, a separator in the air passage in advance of the cant boards, a partition in the form of a hopper located below the separator, an air inlet at the end of the partition, a valve controlling an opening between the space above the separator and suction chamber, and a dust settling chamber in the opposite end of the casing through which the air passes, substan tially as described.

2. The combination with a casing having an endless air passage therein, a fan for circulating air through the passage, a suction chamber, a partition in the casing, a separator in the passage below the partition, cant boards in the passage on the opposite side of the partition, a valve in the partition,avalve controlling the passage above the partition, a hopper forming a partition below the separator, an air passage between the same and separator, a settling chamber below the separater, a dust collecting chamber, a passage between the same and settling chamber, and a discharge common to the dust collecting and settling chambers, substantially as described.

3. In a middlings purifier, the combination with a closed casing having an endless air passage therein and a fan, of a series et" cant boards, a hopper, a separator, a dust collect ing chamber, a partition between the same and separator, the interposed partition H2, a settling chamber below the separator, and an IOC log

outlet for the dust common to the settling and collecting chambers, substantially as described.

4. Ina middlings purifier, the combination with a closed casing having an endless air passage therein and a fan for circulating' the air in the passage, of a short circuiting passage, a movable separator located therein, means for moving the separator and valves controlling the passages, substantially as de-y scribed.

screen, having two conveyers at the bottom, a hopper slidingly, adj ustably secured beneath the screen, and located in the other hopper 25 and the swinging valve S2 to deflect the material passing through the adjustable hopper into either of the conveyers, substantially as described.

7. In a middlings of a reciprocating screen,a brush, horizontal bearings supporting the brush beneath the screen, the bifurcated bracket on the brush block, the block n detachably secured in the Y pin o swiveled therein, and 3 5 bifurcation the the shaft passing-through the bracket and having reverse threads with which the pin engages, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

EDWIN B. WHITMORE. Witnesses:

v S. B. ROBERTS,

ALBERT C. TITUs. f

purifier, the combination 3o 

